How often are Railway Emergency Calls made?

[Undiscovered]

Yellow to report incident of trespass while we were in a station. Passenger appeared on the platform to catch the train, but had decided to run across the tracks to do so, rather than use the over bridge.
Suffice to say, they didn't get on the train.

 

[Stigy]

I'd be interested to know what the most common reason for making a REC would be. I'd assume trespass and/or fatalities?

I'm sure I've heard at least one story on here of cleaners accidentally pressing the big red button in the depot though!

I don’t understand when I hear of the button being pressed in error since it has a flap over the button prevent this. Unless these were retrofitted fairly recently because of accidental activations?

 

[greatkingrat]

I don’t understand when I hear of the button being pressed in error since it has a flap over the button prevent this. Unless these were retrofitted fairly recently because of accidental activations?

Maybe on some units, but it certainly isn't a universal feature.

 

[Stigy]

Maybe on some units, but it certainly isn't a universal feature.

Oh okay, fair enough. It should be though. I’d be terrible...not accidentally pushing it, but the urge would be almost unbearable with a big red button so accessible

 

[Undiscovered]

Maybe on some units, but it certainly isn't a universal feature.

Some of our units don't have the red 'reducing' ring around the button either.

 

[TheEdge]

I don’t understand when I hear of the button being pressed in error since it has a flap over the button prevent this. Unless these were retrofitted fairly recently because of accidental activations?

Originally there was a fear it would increase the time taken to manage a press as you can't just jab at it. But it does seem to be becoming a much more common feature. The GA legacy fleet didn't have them or get them fitted but the 745 and 755 fleet have them from new.

 

[Surreytraveller]

Some weeks daily, other times you can go a few weeks without one

 

[67016]

5 years signalling never had a red REC, plenty of white ones and a couple of urgents but they where nothing to write home about. Had a few landline emergency calls. A question for the drivers out there. If the Signaller sends a urgent call does it ring differently to a normal call?

 

[Atishyou]

Yellow button once, received rec calls twice - once was at a stand and that was pressed by an driver for reasons unknown and the other time, I was doing a move out of the North end of the yard, when a person was struck by a train in a nearby station.

Used the yellow button once to report trespassers. South of Peterborough, near the Up Slow.

 

[sw1ller]

5 years signalling never had a red REC, plenty of white ones and a couple of urgents but they where nothing to write home about. Had a few landline emergency calls. A question for the drivers out there. If the Signaller sends a urgent call does it ring differently to a normal call?

No, only difference is there is an “urgent” message next to the “contact signaller”. And it can be easily missed when you’re at speed, it can look like a normal “contact signaller” message. I have had one coming into Wellington so I stopped the train just after the signal. Was told the footbridge had collapsed. I kinda figured an emergency call might have been better. As I pulled into the station I noticed it was just the first 5 steps that had gone.

 

[Railweigh]

I would imagine the signaller would have told you to stop if you'd contacted him quickly enough

Plenty of TOCs (including mine) have a rule you can’t use GSMR whilst moving, so you’d just stop when convenient (Usually at the next signal, but if that signal isn’t very far away, has reverted and you’re doing 70mph then you’re probably buggered).

What kinds of things have people pressed the Yellow button for? I have been driving alone for like 3 months, so haven't even had to contact the signaller yet, let alone the Big Scary Buttons

3 months and you haven’t contacted a signaller? Are you on the quietest routes known to man?

 

[dk1]

Plenty of TOCs (including mine) have a rule you can’t use GSMR whilst moving, so you’d just stop when convenient (Usually at the next signal, but if that signal isn’t very far away, has reverted and you’re doing 70mph then you’re probably buggered).

Blimey that's rather strict. I understand approaching a red but when the signaller just wants to caution us for say a crossing where the user up ahead has not rung back rather than stop us, it negates all that's good about GSMR for saving a delay.

 

[Intermodal]

If you aren't allowed to use the GSM-R when moving just ring the box off your mobile phone instead.

 

[dk1]

If you aren't allowed to use the GSM-R when moving just ring the box off your mobile phone instead.

You've just caused several driver managers to self destruct haha.

 

[TheEdge]

Plenty of TOCs (including mine) have a rule you can’t use GSMR whilst moving, so you’d just stop when convenient (Usually at the next signal, but if that signal isn’t very far away, has reverted and you’re doing 70mph then you’re probably buggered).

Thats a little draconian. I work for the same TOC as dk1 and using GSM-R on the move is perfectly acceptable as long as its safe.

 

[dk1]

Thats a little draconian. I work for the same TOC as dk1 and using GSM-R on the move is perfectly acceptable as long as its safe.

I take it many of those TOCs never worked RETB mate. I spent more time across the airwaves whilst driving than a Radio 2 DJ then. GSMR was used in exactly the same way for location enquiries when it replaced it.

 

[Stigy]

Blimey that's rather strict. I understand approaching a red but when the signaller just wants to caution us for say a crossing where the user up ahead has not rung back rather than stop us, it negates all that's good about GSMR for saving a delay.

I’d probably have to stop and check my maps anyway if I was told the reason for the call was to check a crossing

 

[axlecounter]

Wait, do you up there hear the conversation between calling driver and signaller or just sound and message?

I made one in 10 years, because of trespassers.

Heard a handful, a couple of bad ones, following suicides and a very funny one. Someone in the cab accidentally pressed the button and everybody in the area heard the conversation driver <-> unkwonw-who-shouldnt-have-been-there. And that went on, as the two didn't realize what happened, for like 5 minutes, as they apparently didn't hear the angry signaller yelling them to shut it up.

 

[185143]

Remembered a REC call I've been involved in as a passenger. The stolen ambulance incident near Cononley a couple of years ago.

 

[martin2345uk]

3 months and you haven’t contacted a signaller? Are you on the quietest routes known to man?

Haha well I just meant as in, not contacted them for anything out of course - I've pressed SG, and they've called me once or twice, but I haven't called them (apart from to give on when relieving a train, to find out where it is!)

 

[Railweigh]

You've just caused several driver managers to self destruct haha.

It would be the last phone call we’d make as a driver that’s for sure.

 

[Chris Hamilton]

At track level, in 14 years I've made 2 Emergency Calls, one to the Signaller and one to the Electrical Control Room.

The one to the signaller was to bring trains to a stop at Gartsherrie because Strathclyde's finest were on the railway wrestling a local ruffian and trains were still running, so they clearly didn't have permission to be there and one came close to getting swiped by a 318 doing 60. The thing about cops is they dress in black, and the thing about night is it's dark, so I doubt the driver of the train even seen him run across in front of the train. Signaller had to bring two freight trains to a stand, and the BTP turned up fairly sharpish to express some words of advice to the civvies.

The one to ECO was done while my colleague was informing the signaller that water was cascading through a tunnel roof and dislodging material (We were doing signal maintenance in a possession, so it didn't warrant the emergency to the signaller as there was no risk to trains), but that the risk of an electrical flashover (arc) from the OLE was incredibly high, which posed a risk to the public. That call bought me and my team a slap up dinner at a Scotrail awards ceremony in Glasgow, as it was deemed that we stopped the tunnel roof from collapsing as a burst water pipe had fairly comprehensivel washed away all the material behind the tunnel wall. Must have cost Scottish Water a fortune as the Kirkhill line had to be shut for a day.

 

[sw1ller]

The thing about cops is they dress in black, and the thing about night is it's dark,

this made me smile, I can just picture holly from Red Dwarf as I read it.

 

[Tin Rocket]

Two to the ECR and One to a Bobby in 24 years.

 

[tlionhart]

Wasn’t there a REC call made when a driver mistakenly thought a train was on fire but was corrected and informed it was a steam train?

- Ive made a REC call twice. (Cow and OLE object)
- I’ve received 1 Emergency stop from the signaller (trespassers on a level crossing)
- And a few REC stops from other trains. Luckily nothing too bad. (Egress, trespass, Signal revert to danger, near miss with person)


A question I asked someone who use to work in control told me; A REC call is often. Around 2 a day on average. (For different areas/regions of the network) That’s based on those control rooms in a ROC.